Buffalo Chicken Bites

Perfect football food!  I enjoyed these while watching a game last weekend.  These buffalo chicken bites were so good they may make a reappearance for the Super Bowl!

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything Blog
Recipe makes 12 - using a regular size cupcake pan

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (Frank's is the brand I like)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

24 wonton wrappers

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin very lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, Ranch dressing, wing sauce and 3/4 cheddar cheese (save remaining 1/4 cup for topping). You can soften the mixture slightly in the microwave if needed to make it come together. Stir in shredded chicken.
3. Start layering your cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Spoon about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture. Top with another wonton wrapper and add another tablespoon of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and a little blue cheese.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are brown. Check cupcakes after 10 minutes into cooking and if edges are browned cover the cupcakes with foil for the remaining cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each cupcake out.

Corn Fritter

Perusing pintrest one night I came across this recipe for corn fritters. I saw Greek yogurt in the ingredients and decided to give it a try.  Besides tasting great, they were quick and easy!

Source: alexandracooks blog

Ingredients:
½ cup quick-cooking polenta, or fine-ground cornmeal
1¼ cups corn kernels, cut from 1-2 ears of corn*
1 small shallot, diced fine (about 3 tablespoons)
1 small jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, diced fine (about 2 tablespoons)
¾ teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
¾ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for frying
3 egg whites
¼ cup chopped cilantro (or more or less to taste)
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraîche

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl mix polenta with corn, shallots, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Add yogurt, 1½ tablespoons olive oil, 1 egg. Mix well with fork.
2. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat to soft peaks. Carefully fold whites into corn batter in two stages. Let rest 5 minutes.
3. Set large nonstick frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1 teaspoon olive oil (or enough to just coat the bottom of the pan). Once hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of batter per cake into pan. Spread with the back your spoon to even out the batter. Make 3 to 4 fritters at a time. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook cakes 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook 1 minute, or until golden. Season second side of fritters with a pinch of salt. Transfer to paper-lined tray.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

The picture of these ravioli in my Cooking Light magazine made my mouth water and I was determined to make them!  They are surprisingly easy.  I used some of my frozen homemade pesto (see my pesto recipe) and just threw a couple handfuls of fresh spinach in the food processor with the pesto. 

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light January 2013

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (about 1 1/2 pounds)  

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

36 wonton wrappers

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach

Pesto (jarred or see my pesto recipe)

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped, and divided

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool. Scoop out pulp; discard peel. Mash pulp. Combine oregano, squash pulp, and butter in a large bowl. Stir in 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep them from drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons squash mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with beaten egg; bring 2 opposite corners together. Pinch edges together to seal, forming a triangle. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, squash mixture, and egg. Cover ravioli loosely with a towel to prevent drying.
3. Place spinach in a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add premade pesto - approximately 1/4 cup.   
4. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add half of ravioli; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli. Add ravioli to pesto; toss gently to coat. Arrange 6 ravioli on each of 6 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon walnuts.

Mushroom Risotto

This is perfect for a cold winter night.  I have served it as a main dish or as a side for a nice steak dinner.  I drizzle with truffle oil and season at the very end with Black Truffle Sea Salt.  Please keep in mind that you will need a large pan because the recipe makes a large batch. I usually freeze some or pack it for easy microwave lunches.  I have also substituted different mushrooms depending on what I find at the farmers market/grocery store.

Source: Food Network
Ingredients:

8 cups chicken broth, low sodium

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced, divided

1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon truffle oil

1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit

2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

 

Instructions:

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a suacepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

Lobster Pot Pie

Days like today, my family loves being my food testers!  I found lobster tails on sale new years eve and froze them to use in this special treat.  Lobster is just so luxurious and tasty!  This pot pie is full of veggies and uses milk and flour for a sauce rather than cream.  On top of being luxurious, it is also really delicious!


Source: adapted from sallaboutme blog
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot diced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 small potato (about 3 oz - cut into cubes and cooked)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb cooked lobster meat*
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper
1/2 of 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (keep refrigerated until ready to use and freeze the remaining)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrot. Cook, continuing to stir for around 5 minutes. Add corn, peas and potato cubes. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute.

Add milk and broth, constantly stirring. Cook until sauce thickens (approx. 5 min). Remove from heat, add lobster meat*, thyme, then salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

* Cooking lobster: You can either purchase the lobster meat already cooked, or an easy way to cook the tails is to defrost first.  Then broil them in the oven on high for 6 min with the legs sticking up.   Remove tails and allow to cool. Using kitchen shears, cut down the bottom side of the tail. Remove the tail meat.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8″ thick. 

Use the top of the ramekin as a guide to cut 2 circles for the top of the pot pies, cutting a little larger than the bowl. Spray the ramekins with baking spray and place on a baking sheet or roasting pan to catch any runoff during baking. Spoon filling into the ramekins.

Place one circle of the puff pastry on the top of each ramekin. Press the edges of the pastry into the ramekin to seal.

Cut a vent or two in the center of the pastry to vent air and moisture during cooking, then brush the entire surface of the pie with the egg.

Bake about 35 min. until the pastry is puffed and turns dark golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and serve!

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

 

I made these cookies for a cookie exchange party in December.  Given the color, these would also be great cookies for Valentines Day!  I found this recipe online in the Better Homes and Gardens "All-Time Favorite Christmas Cookies" and decided that I must give them a try.  Now that I have tasted them I know why they have reached all-time favorite status!

Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 drops red food coloring (optional)

2 teaspoons shortening

White nonpareils and/or red edible glitter (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball.

3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set. Makes about 60.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates

Dates are a new staple in my pantry. I have ordered stuffed dates in a few restaurants over the last couple years and they were amazing, so I decided to try making my own.  I was inspired to create these after feasting on delicious stuffed dates at Firefly Las Vegas and The Med in Boulder, CO.

Ingredients:
20 Medjool dates
10 thin slices of bacon
20 Marcona almonds
2-3 ounces goat cheese
20 toothpicks

Slice each of the dates in half on the long side and remove the seed.  Then insert 1 Marcona almond and about 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese.  Wrap the date with 1/2 slice of bacon and secure the bacon with a toothpick.  Repeat for all 20 dates.

Then cook in small batches in a deep saucepan on medium heat.  I usually cook the bottom and sides of the date and then remove from the heat, switch the tooth pick to the other side to ensure the bacon is cooked all the way around the date. 

These can be cooked in advance and then just warmed them up in the oven for a party.